Gleditsch, KS, Tago, A and Tanaka, S orcid.org/0000-0001-6246-3332 (2019) Spurred by Threats or Afraid of War? A Survey Experiment on Costs of Conflict in Support for Military Action. Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, 25 (2). 20180023. ISSN 1079-2457
Abstract
It is commonly assumed that perceived threats from a rival state will make individuals more likely to “rally-round-the-flag” and support military action. Previous studies have looked at how information about threats affects public support for military action. To date, however, there has been less attention to how information about the costs of conflict affects support for military action in response to threats. In this article, we present a survey experiment designed to evaluate how information about the likely military and economic costs of conflict influences support for military action. We provide Japanese respondents with information about relations with China, and probe how support for military action in the context of the ongoing territorial dispute changes with varying information on the military costs of conflict and its economic consequences. We find that information about trade ties and military capacity exerts a pacifying effect and strengthens opposition to military action. Consistent with our proposed mechanism, we show that greater awareness of military costs is associated with stronger opposition to military action. Our results indicate that even under the existence of external threats, greater awareness of the costs of conflict affects attitudes to military action and can increase support for peaceful solutions to territorial rivalries.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | arming; China; interdependence; Japan; public opinion; territorial disputes |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Politics & International Studies (POLIS) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 14 Feb 2019 09:45 |
Last Modified: | 16 Mar 2020 01:39 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | De Gruyter |
Identification Number: | 10.1515/peps-2018-0023 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:142499 |